1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a surgical system and method for removing and treating diseased tissue and more particularly to a minimally invasive system and method for removing diseased tissue and creating a margin around an excised area.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surgical cancer treatments have advanced to two primary stages. A first stage removes the cancerous tissue by resecting the tissue from the body. The goal of the first stage is to remove all cancerous cells from a target area. However, unless a large portion of healthy tissue is also resected, a possibility exists that some cancerous cells remain near the resection site.
A second stage typically involves a broad-based radiation therapy to the cancerous region. The radiation therapy is necessary to destroy any cancerous tissue that may have remained in the targeted area after resection. However, broad-based radiation therapy requires multiple exposures to high doses of radiation. Such exposure results in undesirable side effects and the exposure may not be limited to the tissues that surrounded the resected tissue. Further, a full course of treatment may require six weeks of individual treatments that result in frequent visits to a hospital or treatment suite.
Accordingly, an improved treatment method is desired that improves treatment effectiveness, reduces side effects, reduces treatment time, avoids widespread exposure to radiation, and is verifiable using medical imaging techniques. Additionally, an improved treatment method is desired that may be used with multiple imaging modalities, these modalities may include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and x-ray Computed Tomography (CT).